Daily Dose

26th Annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Since the first Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 1988, Hillsdale has played host to some of the country’s biggest names in folk music—Shawn Colvin, Ani DiFranco, and Arlo Guthrie among them. Now a three-day event, the festival is an annual celebration of community folk music and dance that features both national and up-and-coming artists.

This year’s festival boasts an impressive lineup of musicians, including The Andrew & Noah Band, The Grand Slambovians, The Great Bear Trio, and Spuyten Duyvil. Concertgoers have a hand in the selection process; every year, they get a chance to vote on their favorite acts from the event’s Emerging Artist Showcase. The 2013 votes are in, and crowd favorites The Boxcar Lilies and Darlingside (tied for first place), Roosevelt Dime, and Connor Garvey will return for the Most Wanted Song Swap this year.

The festival will offer a Summer’s Eve Song Swap on Friday night, when musician Tom Paxton, John Gorka, Cheryl Wheeler, and Seth Glier will share the stage. Also returning is the event’s popular Dance Tent. Fitted with an impressive 9,000-square-foot, all-wood dance floor, the tent is where visitors can go for workshops and instruction in all levels and styles of dance.

New this year is a pre-festival event for campers on Thursday, July 31. The day will include food, crafts, a Lounge Stage of veteran and new musicians, and a three-course social media school offered by Madalyn Sklar of GoGirlsMusic.com.

The festival will run from Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3 on Dodds Farm in Hillsdale. Tickets are available at the gate; go for a single day, or camp out for the whole weekend.